Causality: Philosophical Theory meets Scientific PracticeHead hits cause brain damage - but not always. Should we ban sport to protect athletes? Exposure to electromagnetic fields is strongly associated with cancer development - does that mean exposure causes cancer? Should we encourage old fashioned communication instead of mobile phones to reduce cancer rates? According to popular wisdom, the Mediterranean diet keeps you healthy. Is this belief scientifically sound? Should public health bodies encourage consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables? Severe financial constraints on research and public policy, media pressure, and public anxiety make such questions of immense current concern not just to philosophers but to scientists, governments, public bodies, and the general public. In the last decade there has been an explosion of theorizing about causality in philosophy, and also in the sciences. This literature is both fascinating and important, but it is involved and highly technical. This makes it inaccessible to many who would like to use it, philosophers and scientists alike. This book is an introduction to philosophy of causality - one that is highly accessible: to scientists unacquainted with philosophy, to philosophers unacquainted with science, and to anyone else lost in the labyrinth of philosophical theories of causality. It presents key philosophical accounts, concepts and methods, using examples from the sciences to show how to apply philosophical debates to scientific problems. |
Other editions - View all
Causality: Philosophical Theory Meets Scientific Practice Phyllis McKay Illari,Federica Russo Limited preview - 2014 |
Causality: Philosophical Theory meets Scientific Practice Phyllis Illari,Federica Russo Limited preview - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
account of causality agency theories analysis approach Bechtel behaviour biological biomarkers capacity causal claims causal inference causal linking causal Markov condition causal methods causal process causal reasoning causal relations causal structure cell concept of causality context Core ideas correlations counterexamples counterfactual developed difference-making domains effect entities epidemiology epistemic epistemology establish causal evidence experimental exposomics Gillies Glennan happen Illari important inferential information theory instance interested interventions invariance kind lac operon lactose laws lung cancer manipulationist manipulations means mechanisms mechanistic explanation mesothelioma metaphysical methodology modal realism mosaic multilevel models notion observational particular phenomenon philosophical philosophical literature philosophical questions Philosophy of Science physics pluralism population prediction probabilistic probability problem of causality relevant Russo scientific examples scientific practice scientific problems scientists smoking causes social sciences statistical theory of causality things toy examples truthmakers understand variables variation Williamson